Dear neighbors,

I’m writing to thank you for helping CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank reach so many families in need in 2025.

At a time of so much uncertainty, your contribution helped our neighbors who needed food, financial support, or mental health support to weather a crisis. Together with our partners, we continue to provide…

• Food for families. Our Food Pantry, Mobile Pantry, and Grocery Delivery services are now serving 200 families per day with some 37 pounds of food per household. Meanwhile, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) interruption continues to threaten more than 15,000 Johnson County residents eligible for this help.
• Healing Prairie Farm. Introduced in 2024, the farm is a safe setting for kids in crisis, homeless or runaway youth. Since July alone, we’ve provided 457 total nights of safe shelter and support, with a diversion rate for these kids (from jail or hospital) of 95 percent.
• Crisis Services. Crisis Helpline counselors answered more than 11,400 texts, chats, and phone calls from Iowans, including 88 direct handoffs to our Mobile Crisis Response team. The Mobile Crisis Response team has answered 554 dispatches so far this fiscal year in Johnson and Iowa County, also with a 95 percent diversion rate.  

It is difficult to ignore the storm of incivility around us. Looking for a twinkle of hope, I go back to children’s TV icon Fred Rogers’ adage. “Look for the helpers,” he told his audience. Even when danger is close at hand, one way to find hope is to look for the people who are helping others.

When our neighbors are looking for helpers in Johnson County, they will see CommUnity and generous supporters like you. We appreciate your trust and hope you will continue to support our work in 2026.

Thank you for being a helper to our neighbors facing a crisis. Together, your generosity of spirit and CommUnity’s experts have made a big impact this year.